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The phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered, fearing it was Neil.
“Alex? It’s Susan. Have you heard my news?”
“No, I haven’t. Tell me!”
“I’m now working for our company! David convinced Mom I should try it and see if I like it. I can’t believe she agreed!”
“I can’t, either, but I’m very happy for you.”
“Oh, me, too. I spent the afternoon at the new job and it’s quite absorbing.”
“I’m glad.”
“And do you know the best part?” Susan asked.
“You get to work with David?”
“No! I get to work with Pete.”
“Ah, he is cute, isn’t he?”
“You’ve met him?” Susan asked in surprise.
“Yes, Jim and I worked at the company today to find the spy.”
“Oh, that’s right. The spy was fired and that’s why they had an opening. I’m so glad you found her, because it got me out of that awful dress shop Mom loves.”
“I know. She and my mom go there all the time.”
“Yeah. They haven’t changed their style in twenty years. Do you think we’ll ever be like that?”
Alex chuckled. “I don’t know. If not that, we’ll probably have other faults that will drive our kids crazy. If we have kids.”
“What’s wrong?” Susan asked, picking up on Alex’s depressed state. They’d been in the same grade in school from kindergarten on and had shared a lot of things. She knew her cousin well.
“Nothing,” Alex said, not wanting to talk about breaking up with Neil just yet.
“Maybe I can talk Pete into taking me out to dinner and you and Neil could come with us!” Susan immediately suggested. “I’d love to meet him.”
“Maybe David can double-date with you.”
“Why not you and Neil?”
“I’m not going to be seeing him anymore.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Alex, I didn’t know.”
“It just happened tonight. I discovered that’s he a control freak. He doesn’t want me to make any decisions.”
“Like Mom?”
“Worse. And he seemed to know about the income I get from the company, too. He wanted to live off it someday.”
“Oh, that’s horrible.”
“Yeah. So maybe you can get Pete to take you out to celebrate your getting the new job.”
“I’m having second thoughts. I mean, Pete’s my boss. I guess I’ll ask David. He’ll probably tell me I shouldn’t date him if he’s my boss.”
“It is something to think about, Suse. I mean, I was blinded by the fact that Neil had a higher rank than me.”
“I will think about it. But I’m excited about the job. It’s a new start for me.”
“Yes, it is. I’m proud of you.”
DAVID WAS WORKING at home. He had a condo near the office and worked most evenings. After all, he didn’t have a social life.
He’d tried dating, and he’d discovered women liked to date wealthy men. He had a nice car, a nice home, had the title of president of his company. But they didn’t like dating a workaholic. After his last girlfriend had complained about how boring he was, he’d given up dating.
He answered his phone after it rang, expecting it to be his mother. “Hello?”
“David, it’s Susan. I just wanted to thank you again for my new job. I really enjoyed myself today.”
“I’m glad, honey, but don’t decide too quickly. Give yourself time to be sure.”
“I will. Oh, and I like Pete, too.”
“I’m glad.”
Apparently Susan still had something to say, but she wasn’t saying it. But she wasn’t hanging up, either.
“Was there something you had a question about?”
“Um, yes. What is your policy about dating?”
It didn’t take David long to figure out what his sister wanted to know. “You mean Pete?”
“Is he seeing someone right now?”
“No, I don’t think so, but…well, you know Mom’s kind of a snob, don’t you?”
“You mean because she slobbers all over Jerry and his family because they’ve been members of the country club for generations? Yeah, I know. So?”
“Do you remember Pete’s last name?”
“Dansky? What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing as far as I’m concerned. But his father came over from Eastern Europe when Pete was a little boy. He’s a U.S. citizen now, but he wasn’t born here.”
“I don’t care.”
“But Mom would. I just wanted to point that out. Anyway, is Pete interested in you?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. I thought you and I could go out and celebrate my new job and…and you could ask Pete to come.”
“Were you going to ask Mom?”
“No, I just meant you and me and maybe Alex.”
“Alex would probably have a date with that cop.” David wasn’t happy about that.
“I don’t think so,” Susan said.
That got David’s attention. But Susan didn’t elaborate, and he wasn’t about to ask. Alex’s love life was none of his business, was it?
Chapter Four
“Alex? I’m sorry to call so late but….”
“It’s okay, David. I hadn’t gone to bed.”
“I need to talk to you about Susan. And I need to ask you for a favor. Can you spare me a night this week? I mean, without canceling a date with that cop?”
Alex drew a deep breath of relief. At first when David started his request, she feared Susan had told him about her breaking up with Neil. “Yes, I suppose I could save a night for you, if it’s necessary.”
“According to Susan, it is. She wants me to suggest we go out to celebrate her new job…and ask Pete to go with us to even out the numbers.”
“Even out the numbers?”
“Ah, you see the problem. Susan and I are two, an even number. That’s why we need you. That would make the numbers uneven and give us a reason to ask Pete to join us. Susan’s kind of interested in him, but doesn’t want to seem too forward at such an early stage.”
“Why don’t you ask one of your dates?”
“I’ve given up dating.”
Alex frowned. “Why?”
“One of them explained that wealthy men were favorites unless they were workaholics. Then they were just boring. I’m a workaholic.”
“Oh, David! That was stupid of her. You’re not boring! You mustn’t give up dating,” Alex told him.
“Thanks, sweetheart, but for right now, I need you to be my date for Susan’s plan to succeed. Okay?”
“All right. I don’t mind helping Susan out.”
“Good. How about tomorrow night?”
“All right.”
After she hung up the phone, Alex thought about her younger years, when she’d tried to get David to notice her. He wasn’t her real cousin, and she’d had a major crush on him. But he’d been much too busy to pay any attention to her—after all, she was more than three years his junior.
So she’d finally turned her attention to boys her own age and found them much more receptive. But she wasn’t exactly booked up. She could go on this fake date as a favor to Susan.
As she was climbing into bed later that night, she realized she hadn’t once thought of Neil since David had called. Maybe she hadn’t gotten over that ridiculous crush, after all.
THE NEXT MORNING, both Will and Carrie congratulated her and Jim on their efficient job for David’s company.
“Carrie, you did as much work as either Jim or me,” Alex told her. “We all worked together so well.”
“Yes, we did, didn’t we?” Carrie agreed. “That just proves that we were smart to hire you.”
“I hope so,” Alex said. “What’s on my plate for today?”
“Will wanted you to start work on this case,” Carrie said, handing her a file. “It’s for one of our insurance companies. If you have any questions about how to proceed after you’ve read the information, just ask me or Jim.”
“Great, Carrie, thanks.” Alex settled at her desk, thinking how much better this was than night duty as a cop.
Later that afternoon Alex was working on the computer, making notes on the man who was apparently trying to con the insurance company, when she got a call from David.
“What time do you get off work tonight?” he asked without preamble.
“We usually close at five,” Alex said, lowering her voice. She didn’t want the others to think that she was a clock watcher.
“So will you be ready if I pick you up at six-thirty?”
“That’s not necessary. I can meet you somewhere.”
“No, it will work better if I take you and Susan in my car. We’re meeting Pete.”
“Where are we going?”
“I thought we’d try Outback. Their steaks are good.”
“So it’s going to be a first-class celebration. Shall I offer to pay half?”
After a momentary pause, David said, “I think I can bankroll this evening, Alex. Any remarks like that would ruin the illusion Susan is trying to create.”
“All right. I won’t say anything like that. But I’ll still be glad to—”
“Your job is to dress like you’re going out on a date with the cop. Only you’ll be with me!”
She was left holding a dead line. He’d hung up on her. Impossible man!
Did he think she wouldn’t wear something nice just because she was going with him? Well, she’d show him. She’d wear that green knit dress that hugged her figure. And she’d wear her sexiest perfume, too. She didn’t think he’d complain then!
“Alex?” Carrie called. “Is anything wrong?”
